Fibershed LA, Pop up Feature locally sourced crafts, artisan, farms.

Visitors to the Los Angeles Fibershed opening Saturday found themselves surrounded by more than just a surplus of handmade goods crafted from locally sourced fibers.

The two-week pop-up is more of a happening than a show, demonstrated by the members of the Spinning Guild who were on hand to spin, shown above, while curious onlookers touched and felt their way around a room filled with soft bundles of fleece, delicate pine needle baskets and felted alpaca carpets.Hand-knitted tops by Amabelle Aguiluz were installed like artworks throughout the temporary space, now home to the Los Angeles Fibershed pop-up organized by local fiber artists Aguiluz, Niki Livingston, Nina Koske and Ashley Thayer, among others.What is a fibershed?

Like a foodshed, a fibershed is a small geographical landscape, or bioregion, where artisans produce goods using natural dyes, materials and farms located within 150 miles of their front door.Whereas some fibersheds focus on creating sustainable clothing, Livingston said the Los Angeles event is about educating the community through "re-skilling" classes like spinning, lap loom weaving, knitting, sewing and dyeing. "We are trying to create a community and let them know there are resources nearby," Livingston said at the opening. The ultimate goal for this collective? A sustainable textile mill, or network of cottage mills, to serve Los Angeles.

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